This invention relates to a drawer unit suitably used as a cup holder or a like apparatus of the drawer type installed in the center console of an automobile.
It is conventionally known to incorporate, as interior equipment of an automobile, a cup holder of the drawer type in the center console of the automobile between the driver's seat and the assistant driver's seat such that a vessel such as a juice can is carried on the cup holder. When the cup holder is not used, it is retracted into the center console so that it may not create an obstacle. Several cup holder units of the drawer type wherein a cup holder is formed in the center console or a like member are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Nos. 63-44844 and 63-161045.
Those cup holder units are constructed such that a holder of the drawer type is drawn out linearly forwardly. In particular, the unit proposed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-44844 is constructed in such a manner as shown in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 9, the cup holder unit shown includes a unit body a in the form of a box which is open at the front thereof, and a holder b accommodated for drawing out movement in the unit body a and having a pair of cup holding holes c formed therein. When the holder b is drawn out from the unit body a, a frame-like end portion of the holder b is pivoted downwardly so that it serves as a stopper d which prevents dropping off of cups received in the cup holding holes c. The cup holder unit is of the type wherein the holder b is drawn out linearly forwardly. Further, other cup holder units conventionally proposed are of the type wherein a holder is drawn out linearly forwardly from a unit body although they may be different in construction of a stopper or some other elements. A pair of arresting holes e are formed in a top wall of the unit body a for engaging with a pair of arresting portions (not shown) formed at base end portions of the holder b to hold the holder b in a drawn out position.
With the cup holder of the unit of the construction described above, however, when incorporated in the center console of an automobile, since the holder b is drawn out linearly forwardly in order to use it, when a cup or a like vessel is received in the holder b drawn out forwardly, the holder b may possibly be an obstacle to and therefore complicate a manual operation of some other equipment installed in the center console such as, for example, an audio apparatus. In this instance, it is dangerous if the driver pays too much attention to such operation. Further, where the cup holder is installed in an automobile which has a comparatively small amount of space, the holder b drawn out by the driver may possibly make an obstacle to an operation of the driver such as a shifting operation of the speed reducing gear or a steering operation of the steering wheel, thus deteriorating the operability in driving of the automobile by the driver.